


Packing Punches in Reality

by eostella



Category: Persona 5
Genre: A little bit of Sae is ALWAYS fun, As a friend would say: Best game for best girl, F/M, I can't help but think this is just pure nonsense ah well, Sae is the original queen, These babies play Tekken 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 08:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11376849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eostella/pseuds/eostella
Summary: After the weather turned for the worst, Makoto and Akira play Tekken 7. Things didn't really stay as calm as Akira hoped. Featuring Sae!





	Packing Punches in Reality

Unlike every previous summer night where everyone was basically sweating buckets from the almost-sweltering heat, the rain decided to make an appearance on the day they were going on a little evening date in Asakusa. It had been ages since they were able to do anything together in the evenings and rather than just spending a summer night cooped up in either of their rooms, they decided to forge a plan out of their homes to see the city. University life had driven both of them to the ground even after finals week so Makoto figured that a sight such as Japan's skyline would cure them of the headaches brought about by seemingly countless homeworks and paperworks and whatnot that have plagued them for their last month of the term (It was Akira's first year and Makoto's second). Alas, such plans would remain plans until the skies cleared, which shouldn't be too long. It was summer after all.

Stirring a drop of chocolate into Makoto's mug, he smiled to himself as he smelled the aroma that was wafting almost all throughout the kitchen. Their dinners had long gone (except for the dish they saved for Sae), and a mug of mocha seemed like a great idea to battle the chill that was creeping into the Niijima apartment. _Not too much caffeine, and with the balance of bitter and sweet to cap off the night_ , as Makoto had reasoned. Truthfully, he wasn't that used to making a hot mocha drink from scratch because Sojiro didn't specialise in such drinks and the right way to make it would involve research (he must have picked up the perfectionist tendency from _somewhere_ ), of which time for he could not afford whilst university was still his main occupation. He did try to use such reasoning against Makoto's wishes (not that he wanted to contradict her or anything, but he wasn't that confident of the would-be results). Yet, when her face dropped a little and a tiny pout formed on her lips, Akira was simply swept. Such expression was unsightly on the face of his Queen. Besides, it was the least he could do when she felt dispirited after the weather thwarted their initial plans. 

Despite feeling that he had spent such countless hours in the kitchen, Akira saw that it was merely some minutes past seven in the evening...plenty of time to slack off, relax, and do anything that was not connected to their studies. They certainly earned such wealth of free time. He took the mugs by their handles and set them on the coasters that were waiting on the coffee table. 

"Have you thought of what to do now?" he asked, taking the seat on the sofa next to her. "I'd nominate watching a suspense-horror movie to continue your desensitisation but it's raining and the skies are much darker tonight. Onee-sama might actually do a Hundred Slaps if she found out that I'd be the cause for your sleeplessness." 

Rolling her eyes at how her boyfriend addresses Sae when she wasn't around, Makoto shifted against the plush cushions to curl closer to Akira. "You know there's no need to refer to her formally. She even insisted you call her as I would," she said lightly, a playful tone colouring her speech. "Then again, it does serve as a tiny reminder that she's just not one to mess with especially if the matter involves me." The younger Niijima poked her beau's side with a chuckle just to mess with him a little. 

"I would not dare," he retorted, if only to humour her. They both knew that their relationship had run deeper over the last two years, and with how closer the Niijima sisters grew post-Phantom Thieves stint, it was just a matter of time before Sae got used to the idea of Makoto having a boyfriend, and having said boyfriend over quite frequently. It was easier to accept their relationship rather than oppose it, as she had enough troubles on her own and it wouldn't exactly do anyone any good if she contradicted something that seemed to be endgame. As long as the two had their priorities set and elect _not_ to do anything reckless or irresponsible, she was there for support.

A small smile lingered on the young lady's lips before she sat up a little straighter on the sofa and folded her legs under her. "Actually, I was thinking of finally opening that box," Makoto said with a nod, pointing to the neatly wrapped gift sitting next to the television. It was a present that Akira gave her on White Day, but never got around to actually taking the items out of the box and setting them up accordingly as the demands from their studies were getting a bit trickier to handle. Despite knowing what the box held and getting excited for the items sitting quietly in it, the wrapping paper had only collected light dust. Even Sae inquired regarding the console and expressed interest but being a defence attorney with a stellar winning record could not afford her to take the time to set it up as well. 

Akira looked to the direction where Makoto was pointing and it was probably the last thing on his mind to do. In fact he had already forgotten that he had given her such gift weeks ago, even more was he clueless of the fact that either Niijima sister intended but never got around to setting up the console for their entertainment. It was a delightful reminder, however, and whilst their original plans were drenched to nothingness, a night of gaming wouldn't be the worst replacement of it. It still wouldn't suffice Makoto's desire to gaze at picturesque vistas to rest their eyes but they had the rest of summer for that. "I thought you had already set it up by now," he said, his hand going to the back of his hair to mess it up on instinct. "Anyways, I suppose we could do that. Plenty of time to get it going and play a few rounds on the games that came with it." 

In all honesty, he wasn't that much into video games before but ever since Ryuji and Futaba (even Shinya) piqued this newfound interest, he finds himself researching both retro games and new games, frequenting the arcade (a good way to de-stress during stressful university life), watching game trailers, and listing down game titles to get for his own console back in Leblanc. Akira took a gulp of his own drink from his mug and stood up to retrieve the box. The lanky young man let his girlfriend tear away the wrapping paper and dispose of it as he opened the box and slid out the console carefully. It was a black Playstation 4 Pro, identical to his console back in his cafe bedroom. He got it in one of his and Futaba's Akihabara trips when one of the electronics store had a flash sale on console + 2 games bundles. His adoptive little sister recommended to get this particular bundle, the one with Tekken 7 and the new Marvel vs Capcom when she had learned that it was to be a gift for Makoto. Something about fighting games suiting her personality and quirks from their heists as Phantom Thieves, he had heard her mumble. Even Morgana seconded the decision. Knowing what these kinds of games were, deep in him, he had to agree with them. 

It only took Akira a quarter of an hour to get everything up and running. He finished his drink whilst setting up the cables and respective consoles. He was actually pleasantly surprised that the Niijima entertainment system was something that one wouldn't exactly call basic. He surmises that it was Sae who had an inclination to the technologies as Makoto wasn't one to fiddle with them for fun. With the last two cables hooked up and ready to go, he popped in the game and downloaded the necessary update file to begin their gaming evening.

"So tell me about these games that came with it. I didn't have the time to look them up when I heard of them but Sis seemed interested in them when I mentioned the titles. We didn't exactly have gaming consoles when we were growing up so my knowledge regarding these is only so basic."

Akira took their mugs back to the kitchen to wash them and he smirked when Makoto inquired of the games. "Well, they're of the same kind. They are under the genre of fighting games where you will pick a character and spar with another to whittle down their health and emerge as victor. It's simply as straightforward as that. Futaba and Morgana figured you will find it especially interesting since you trainied in Aikido. And now that you mention it, Onee-sama might be more than just interested since you both had martial arts training. I don't think there's a character in either of the games that does Aikido but Tekken has incorporated fighting styles from all over the world for us to dabble with so I think that's a potential point of interest for you Amazonian sisters." 

A stuffed animal from the couch flew into Akira's direction and he barely dodged it while a hearty laugh formed from his chest. "You make us sound so barbaric!" he heard her say with a grumble and he didn't need to look at Makoto to know that she was pouting with her arms crossed. "I'll have you know I am willing to treat your little comment as unworthy of my attention but worthy of being taken note of as leverage should I need to figuratively twist your arm in a situation that would involve Sis. So it'd be wise to watch out, Kurusu." 

"Such a dirty trick, Niijima-senpai," he chuckled, wiping their mugs and stuffing them safely back into the cupboard. "I would make sure to prevent any and all situation of the kind." Going back to the living room, he grabbed one of the Dualshock controllers to check on the progress of the update file. He smiled as he saw that it was finished and he moved to install it. Unbeknownst to him, Makoto was watching him intently, taking note of his moves to learn how to maneuver the console. She had a feeling she might get attached to it, especially after Akira told her about this Tekken game. She was witness to some of the gaming afternoons he, Ryuji, and Futaba have every now and then, and she had to admit it was kind of interesting...especially the combat ones. Now that they have retired from defeating Shadows, she figured it was one of the ways Akira and Ryuji coped with the loss of their otherworldly life.

"Can I try?" she asked, taking the other controller and creating an account for Sae, as her account was set up by Akira a few minutes earlier. Soon after, they were in the game and Makoto insisted she do everything by herself while Akira guides her through it. She learns best through actual doing, rather than just watching, after all. "Okay so, I found this offline mode practise and I think I want to go through that first before actually going against real players...Which player would you recommend? Ooh, I think I would like one that's closely related to Aikido. I know you said that there isn't a character who does but maybe someone's fighting style is somehow similar? Whom do you fight with?" 

Akira hummed as he borrowed the controller from her and skimmed through the characters displayed on the screen. "I fight with this one...Marshall Law. He uses Jeet Kune Do, a Chinese Martial Arts. I suggest you go with a Kazama character if you want something reminiscent of Aikido. I believe their Kazama fighting style has roots with Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu. So there are two Kazama characters, Jin, who is one of the key characters in the franchise. And then there is Asuka, a distant relative but same fighting style. I take it you'll go for the unpopular route and go with Asuka?"

Nodding, Makoto grabbed the controller from him and proceeded on with the practise, even selecting Marshall Law as a sparring partner. She was determined to get all scientific about this game and Akira could see the fire in her eyes when he mentioned the fighting style that was related to Aikido. After fiddling around with the controls and familiarising herself with the general flow of the game, she pulled out the Move List and proceeded to preview each and every one of the moves listed for Asuka then trying it on her own. 

"So if I do this, press this button, she'll grab the opponent for a takedown...Interesting! Now, this rage drive...a little complicated but I'm sure I'll get it..." she talked to herself as she went on practising Asuka's moves. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Akira trying to stifle a yawn. "Oh, sorry, am I taking too long? I mean you could have a nap first while I figure this out or..." 

The young man shook his head and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. "It will hardly matter. I swear for someone who is a beginner, none of those moves will stick on the first try. You will actually have to spend countless hours so that combo moves will become muscle memory. Come, I'll show you. Let's battle." 

"But Akira! Just how would you expect me to play this when I have hardly learned and memorised Asuka-San's moves?" 

"Like I said, none of those will stick the first time and you'll learn so much more when you're faced with a real opponent instead of a bot whose health does not decline no matter how much you hit. It’s really not as fun. If you're so afraid of losing--" 

"I'm not!" Makoto insisted, rolling her eyes. "I just want to do justice to the game." 

"The game is inanimate. It won't feel justice..."

"But the developers spent so much time in the game, I hardly think it's necessary to point that out."

"No, what I mean to say is...do it like how beginners would and indulge in some random button smashing. It's more learning fun that way, rather than go by the book and go all scientific on your first try. Let's just try it. No harm in doing that, right?" 

* * *

“Oh no! Don’t do cartwheels, Asuka-san! That’s not--! No! All right! A punch to the face! OOH! I finally did a combo! But how do I—Dammit! Whoa! Did she just…how did I do that?!”

Well into their tenth round of fighting, Akira couldn’t help but notice how Makoto was getting emotionally invested in the whole game, even going as far as treating her preferred character like a comrade. He found it quite adorable how she jumps up and punches the air when she was successful in defeating him. Akira supposed his random button smashing should stop now that Makoto has found ease in Asuka’s movements and was already formulating combination attacks. Stretching out the kinks in his neck and clenching and relaxing his hands, he donned a small smirk as he recounted Marshall’s moves that he had memorised a summer ago. 

“I didn’t think you’d get the hang of this so quickly,” he said lightly as he sat back against the sofa. Makoto had inched closer to the television screen, legs folded in front of her like a pro-gamer. She even has a pillow on her lap to serve as a platform for the controller as if she were in an arcade.

“Are you kidding me? This is so much fun! I cannot even fathom why it took me this long to unbox the console and play the game. Sis and I could have had another form of entertainment on those slow nights!” she exclaimed, eyes glued to the screen. Makoto initiated another PvP game set up and stuck with Asuka whilst Akira stuck with Marshall.

Akira shifted on the sofa with Makoto’s makeshift gaming platform, planning something utterly naughty but it was part of gaming. He wouldn’t call it cheating, per se. Just being aware of the enemy’s movements.

“Oh my god!” Makoto exclaimed as she had a raged, scorned expression on her face. “Were you just…did you just…Were you just going easy on me before?!”

“No! That’s not it. I was just doing some random button smashing at the first, try to get into the feel of Marshall again after so long, you know what I mean?”

Frankly, Makoto didn’t know how exactly to take that bit of information. It did feel great when she won against Akira in the previous games but now she felt as if those don’t count when he wasn’t bringing his true game skills on. The last thing she need was some patronising from her boyfriend. “…Fine, but you shouldn’t be doing that, you know. I don’t need to win just because you weren’t playing properly.”

“Yes, Queen,” he replied, not feeling guilty of what he will do the next time they battled.

“Oohh! Asuka-san came in riding a bike! I totally see myself in her, you know. With Johanna before…” she said before their combat started.

“She moves a bit similarly as well!”

“Hrryaahh! I got the first punch!” Makoto grinned widely, bending closer to the TV as the fight progressed. “Right, Asuka-san! A ten-hit combo! Punch! Punch!” she practically screeched as she made Asuka do a Heaven’s Hammer. “I am soooo not done with you yet, Akira! This is why you should learn how to block, I take advantage of it and—Urgh! Stop punching my face repeatedly! Oh, you will get it. You will get it indeed! No! Asuka-san! I really like how she punches. Kind of reminds me of me… Oh wow, what was that? I can do that?!” Her eyes widened as Asuka did a kick to Marshall from where she fell.

“I also honestly didn’t expect you’d be a loud gamer. Honestly, you’re like Ryuji…”

“Got a problem with that, Kurusu?!”

“Not at all, Niijima-senpai. I quite find it endearing.”

Of all the times he nonchalantly made her blush, it was probably the first time that his intent slightly failed as Makoto was far too much into the game to pay attention to any of his smooth talking.

“Ooh a spinning kick!!” Makoto squealed after Asuka delivered two Dragon Wheel Kicks to Marshall, ending the first round in favour of her. “I think I will get engrossed with this game far too much and far too easily. Come one, Kurusu, step your game up!”

“Okay, you asked for it, Niijima-senpai.”

The second round ended in Akira’s favour and Makoto was somehow satisfied by the turnout because that meant Akira wasn’t holding back now. “We should have a games night with the rest of the thieves one of these days. Maybe after Yusuke’s university exhibit—No! That’s—! Hey! You’re just—! Akira!”

The match ended with Akira as the victor. “What? You said to step my game up. I was merely following your orders, Queen.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Well, how did you mean it then?” he smirked, taking a swig of the water he brought out for the two of them. “Did you mean it as make it a little harder for you but let you win anyway?”

Makoto turned to her boyfriend, fire in her eyes as she would turn to shadows who just pissed her off. She crossed her arms and huffed. “That’s definitely not it!”

“Well, this is how I truly play…Maybe you just need to out-maneuvre that,” Akira nodded.

“Fine.” The younger Niijima took the controller once more and initiated several more matches.

So, maybe he was cheating a bit, if looking at how Makoto smashed her buttons and anticipating whenever she was approaching to attack was called cheating. It was then that he would press the right buttons to do a Parry and another set of buttons to do a Fake Step and Tricky Trap or Fake Step and Tricky Fist. (It was a trick he learned from playing with Ryuji and Futaba.) But the one move that he repeatedly did after a Parry was a Run Up to Drop kind of smackdown. He knew it was annoying Makoto so much because she was now playing with her teeth gritted, making a tiny vein visible at the side of her temple.

“Maybe we should take a break…” Akira suggested after his sixth match victory.

“No, we’re doing this. I’m not setting this controller down until I win against you.”

“Well, we can continue that after we take a break. I mean, a sip of water would be nice and maybe your hands are already tired…”

“I said no, Akira. We’re doing this,” she said in a tone that she only used when she was inches away from screaming due to frustration.

“Right, okay,” he said, initiating another match. He didn’t wish to anger the younger Niijima even if it was just over a video game.

“And no cutting loose. Play like how you would play normally. I’ll cut you if you don’t play normally.”

“All right, all right. Jeez.”

“Get ready for the next battle!” was heard from the speakers along the sound of crisp flames as the loading screen displayed.

Makoto narrowed her eyes at the TV and gripped her controller a little tighter than before, determined to crush her boyfriend in the upcoming matches. Maybe she was getting a little too invested but she was past the point of caring now and she just wanted to win. Akira’s winning streak was starting to get to her, even if it shouldn’t. Then again, the Niijima sisters were not known for their composure during highly emotional situations.

“Fists of Justice!”

Akira was sort of surprised when Makoto screamed a line from when they were out defeating shadows back in their Phantom Thieves heyday. A slight chortle escaped his lips and he found Makoto endearing once more now that she was more excited again rather than annoyed and frustrated. He had to admit he decreased the cheating maneuvres in this match but he played scientifically, still. “So now that you’ve won, maybe we can take that break?”

“No! Absolutely not! Don’t be foolish. You’ve won several matches and I only won once. And no, the previous matches are void because you weren’t playing properly. Technically, I still lose overall. I would like it if we were even. It would just be a bonus if it happens that I managed to beat you with my collective victories. Besides, I need to keep the momentum going.”

Scratching the back of his head, he sighed and nodded, but sat next to Makoto.

“If you think you’ll be distracting me with our close distance whilst we fight, you are sorely mistaken.”

“I plan on doing nothing of the sort.” Honestly, he planned on looking over to Makoto’s button smashing more than before so maybe she would eventually get frustrated and just give up. It was a gamble but he had to bet on it. Once again, the matches started.

“Oh that’s just dirty!” Makoto said as Akira made Marshall perform a Ball Breaker on her character. “Honestly, that’s revolting!”

“It’s an effective move was it not?” he asked rhetorically and he was met with several grumblings.

“Would you just stop doing that?!” Makoto asked in irritation, after he performed several Run Up to Drops on Asuka once more. The match ended in favour of Akira once more and her fist was balled up.

“What? It’s one of the most entertaining moves Marshall has in his arsenal.”

“Whatever. If you had just let me have another round of practice with Asuka, maybe we could be on even playing fields.”

“I didn’t come this far without a hundred defeats from Futaba and Ryuji, you know. Let’s just say it gets worse before it gets better.”

“Whatever,” Makoto said, rolling her eyes. “But fine, one last match before we take a break. My hands are a bit sore…”

“Sure thing.”

In the middle of the second round, Makoto was able to perform an Attack Reversal whilst Akira was in the middle of a Machine Gun Arrow and she couldn’t resist looking to him smugly because it was the first time since they started going against each other that she had thwarted his attack. What she saw did not impress her.

The reason that Akira was leaning awkwardly earlier and the reason why he sat next to her this time around was he could spy on her moves while they played. No wonder why he was able to do a Parry against each attack that she threw him and successfully defeat her so many times. A hot singe went up her spine and she instinctively balled her fist once more.

“That was great, Ma—“ he was able to get out before her fist connected with his jaw. Akira doubled over and grunted, dropping the controller to the carpeted floor. The former Phantom Thief was more surprised than anything to feel any pain but after a few seconds, he started to feel the tenderness on his face, his vision spinning a little. He couldn’t exactly blame Makoto because he knew she wasn’t the best person to piss off and she sometimes acts rashly (although she has gotten better at managing her emotions, she does slip up from time to time).

“You—you…” Akira grunted before whimpering silently. God, even talking hurt.

* * *

When Niijima Sae got out of her firm and started her car to make her way home, she had a night of relaxation in mind. The defence attorney had just closed a case regarding another false accusation with smudges of power play just that evening. She had received a text from Makoto that dinner would be waiting for her when she got home and that Akira was staying over for the night. Not that she minded. The whole gang of former Phantom Thieves had grown to have a special place in her heart, the very one that they had tried to take. After all, it was because of their effort that everything turned out for the best.

It was almost nine in the evening when she got out of her office and with the weather starting to calm down, it didn’t take her long to reach the apartment that she shares with her sister. Usually, she had to mentally brace herself when she went in with the knowledge that Akira was over just in case she walked into something _very_ private or scandalous. She had once and the image has already been burnt into her mind. Sae would not like to have a repeat of that. Despite the fact that Makoto has already grown up and is on the verge of being an adult, there was still a part of her that would always endearingly treat her as a baby sister.

It was usually quiet when she walks into the house when Akira was over. It would either be the two sitting on the sofa and reading books by themselves or watching a documentary on television. More often than not, she would walk in on them in the middle of a liplock and she has long trained herself to not freak out over the situation and just take it all in stride. Besides, it was what couples normally do. It would be very alarming if they weren’t getting a little physical anyway. After all, the world has modernised and conservativeness has been redefined over the past years. When she did get to the foyer of the Niijima apartment, however, it was not the usual silence that greeted her homecoming.

* * *

“Cheater! You are a cheater! Nothing but a cheater with dirty tactics! I can’t believe you would stoop so low, Akira!” 

Sae’s eyebrows shot to the roof when her hand grabbed the knob of the door. Cheating? Now that was something she would have never predicted of Kurusu Akira. Heck, the young man was hopelessly over the hill for her sister and it just was not in his personality to commit such an abomination. Maybe her judgment of the falsely-labelled delinquent was incorrect after all. 

“Makoto, it’s not how it is… It’s not what you think… I can explain.”

Rolling her eyes, Sae had to exert a lot of effort for self-restraint. She wanted nothing more than to rush in to where they were and make her fist fly to Akira’s direction. Probably to a body part where it would hurt. But, being a defence attorney, logic reigned in her mind and she pushed herself to continue even if Kurusu wasn’t doing a good job in redeeming himself from Makoto’s accusations. Sae did a bit of back-and-forth in her mind, figuring when to make her presence known to the two young adults before she heard Makoto sniffling. Logic be damned, she was not going to sit idly by while her baby sister was having some sort of emotional upheaval. 

The sight that greeted her as she shuffled over to the living room was not one that she expected. Akira was caressing his face which was slightly disfigured, something that would be the result of blunt pressure. Makoto was shaking in anger (not even crying in the least), whilst she posed to possibly give another strike to her boyfriend’s face.

“Makoto!”

“Sis!” Makoto exclaimed in shock as her whole demeanour changed at the presence of her older sister.

Sae inspected the scene with several sweeping gazes and found a disconnect between the actual situation and her assumption. Her face turned serious and she crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one side, the look of a strict authoritarian catching criminals red-handed. “Explain.”

Gulping, Makoto pursed her lips and blinked as she started to get flustered at the idea of explaining the situation to Sae. Looking back, it was pure emotion that had overcome her leading to their situation at the moment. She backtracked in her mind the previous scenarios and she was sure Sae concocted a grave misunderstanding just by the limited conversation she seemed to have witnessed. 

“Makoto?” Sae pressed on. “I am waiting for an answer as to why you chose to resort to violence. Obviously Akira can’t explain properly as you have so brutally socked him in the jaw.”

“WellyouseeSis. We…I..HehelpedmesetupthePS4. Gotcarriedawayplayingthegame. CaughthimcheatingandspyingonmymovesandwellI—didn’ttakeit…so well,” the younger Niijima rambled, grimacing at the thought of what had transpired. “I honestly didn’t expect it was such a hard punch, much less would it connect to his jaw. I’msorrySis!”

Shaking her head, Sae pinched the bridge of her nose. “I shouldn’t be the one to receive your apologies. Bow deeply.”

“Right.” Makoto did as she was told and apologized to her boyfriend.

“It’s okay. Don’t be so formal,” Akira managed to grunt out. “More importantly, may I have some ice, please?”

Makoto blinked and rose from the bow, rushing to the kitchen and preparing an ice pack for her boyfriend. “I’ll heat up your dinner for you, Sis.”

“Thanks,” Sae nodded and sat down, looking at the new addition to their entertainment system. “So this was the source of your…distorted desires?”

Akira managed to give her a half smile as he sat back down and hummed in confirmation. He felt something cold press to his jaw and the young man smiled in gratefulness to his girlfriend who seemed to have calmed down considerably from a few minutes ago. Sae appearing at the most opportune of moments proved once more that the older Niijima was his lifesaver of some kind.

“I have to admit I understand why you would take it so seriously, Mako, but I also have to acknowledge that it was indeed a dirty tactic, Akira. Then again, that is what makes it so exciting but bland at the same time. It’s exhilarating to face an opponent who has their guards down but it gets boring when it gets easier to defeat them.” Sae exited their PvP battle and started a new one, choosing Asuka as the player.

“Sis, you’re going to play?” Makoto asked, not able to hide the shock in her tone of voice.

Sae nodded with a small smirk on her face. “What’s the look of surprise for? Tekken has been around for ages and mind you, I had a life outside of my studies when I was in university. Tekken was one of my favourites. Especially this girl. She fights so well and she’s light to handle. So, who shall be my worthy opponent?”

“I’m out,” Akira said, shaking his head.

Handing the other controller to Makoto, Sae smirked, not even minding the ding of the microwave that signaled her dinner. “I’ll make sure not to sit next to you should you get into another fit of rage. Though, I do doubt that as I haven’t played in so long. My skills are rusty. Akira, sit between us just in case.”

“Urgh, you guys will never make me forget that, will you?” Makoto groaned.

“Not a chance,” Sae smirked. Her entertained look was immediately replaced with a serious expression, a fierce determination in her eyes similar to Makoto’s.

Akira looked back and forth between the Niijima sisters and sighed in his head. He couldn’t help but think he initiated a different kind of bonding between them. Honestly, he was half-scared and half-excited for it, but he could not exactly deem it as a bad thing. The announcer’s voice sounded out and inwardly, he smirked at the prospect of the Niijima sisters’ matches.

Get ready for the next battle, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> This actually turned out far differently than what I intended to write! Hoho. I planned on doing a short one shot but my fingers and my mind sort of ran away from it as I progressed. And yes, I am the ramble-y kind of writer. (I mean just look at the length of this thing.) :/ I just can't seem to shake that off.
> 
> It's my first time narrating a fight scene, much less a Tekken fight scene. I had to list down some of Asuka's and Marshall's moves to make it a little bit accurate. Hoho.
> 
> And wooooow, it just took Persona 5 and the Akira x Makoto ship to lure me out of my hiding from posting fanfiction. I just finished the game a third time and I still can't get enough of it. My last Persona game was P3P so I guess I had some repression I needed to satisfy.


End file.
